


Devoid

by CrushingOnSans (orphan_account)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Angst, Error Sans - Freeform, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Genocide Sans, Implied Sexual Content, Ink, Loss, Love, M/M, Sans - Freeform, Sanscest - Freeform, So much angst, Ugh, Underfell, constantia, error, implied papcest, ink sans - Freeform, reset, underswap - Freeform, undertale - Freeform, what is even going on, why are you reading this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 08:38:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8279707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CrushingOnSans
Summary: Finally, Sans has achieved what he never thought possible--growing old and dying alongside the love of his life. What a joke. He should know by now that Sanses don't get happy endings.   Abandoned





	1. Memories

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this fic was taken from Chapter 29 of Undertale One-Shots by CaridwenAngeteuer1. Their writing is fantastic and lemony and just all around great! I highly recommend reading their stuff!  
> Again, the original idea came from CaridwenAngetueur1! I just want to make sure they get full credit! The chapter after next might have a tiny bit of almost-plagarism but I'm really trying to give them all the credit that they deserve because they really are a wonderful writer and this was a really great idea!

"I remember that, I was scared out of my mind." The voice came from just behind Sans, laughing at the photograph in his hands. 

Sans turned around to see his husband leaning over the back of the couch, looking over his shoulder. He smiled and planted a kiss on his cheek, turning back to the photo. The two of them were on a stage in their suits, having just finished a joint show, and he couldn't help but smile at his own expression at having just been proposed to. "I still can't believe I said yes to the likes of you," said Sans, the smile still on his face. 

Suddenly, his eyes were filled with tears. "Red, I can't believe it. We made it. We grew old together." 

Red came around couch and settled next to him. "Come here, Blue-Boy," murmured Red, pulling him close, "I love you so much. I wouldn't have given this up for anything." 

Sans let himself melt into his husband's embrace, tears still making tracks down his face. "How are we going to tell them?" he whispered.   
X-X-X-X   
Red felt tears running down his face at that question. He took a deep breath and pulled Sans tighter as they cried. In that moment, there was a knock at the door. 

Red reluctantly let his husband go and went to answer it. There stood two copies of the same skeleton, along with a smaller one that looked quite a bit like Sans and Red. 

"WE HAVE DELIVERED THE CHILD BACK TO YOU WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES! WE WOULD--" the tall skeleton broke off when he noticed the tear tracks on Red's face. 

"Hey there Boss, Constantia, Paps, boisterous as always, I see," said Red, smiling and ignoring the look on his brother-in-law's face. "What do you mean 'minor injuries'?" His voice took on a quality of fatherly concern as he looked at his daughter. 

She held up her finger, which now sported a bright green Band-Aid. "I just got a papercut, and I am not a child, Uncle Paps," she said, casting an annoyed look behind her. 

"Are you okay, Red?" asked the skeleton in the black armor, his face uncharacteristically sporting the same concerned look on Papyrus's face. 

Red took a deep breath, taking his daughter's injured hand in both of his. "I think everyone had better come inside, we have some things we need to talk about," he heard himself say, his voice much calmer than he actually felt.   
X-X-X-X   
Sans listened to the conversation on the porch, feeling himself break into a new wave of tears.  _ What is wrong with me? _ He thought to himself, wiping them away. He didn't even care about dying, he knew it would be painless, and hell, even if it would be painful, he would have Red with him until the very end. But what would become of their daughter? What would happen to Papyrus and Fell? He had died so many times before, but he had always been alone, always one of the last survivors, the last stand between the human and the end of monsterkind. He had never had to worry about what would happen to Papyrus because Papyrus has always already been gone. 

But it had been almost 17 years since the last reset, and and this death would be so much different. 

You see, three days before their magic ran out and they naturally turned to dust, every monster suddenly just knew. They just knew, as part of some magical instinct, that that they had 72 hours left.   
Sans thought back to the moment only a few hours ago when he had felt it. He had been sitting on the couch, enjoying the quiet that came with having his daughter out of the house. The TV was on, but he wasn't really watching it, opting instead to sit with his eyes closed, relaxing against the back of the couch. 

He could hear Red walking around in the kitchen, putting clean dishes away. The clatter of plates was strangely relaxing, and the background noise of whatever show he had ended up on served as white noise behind it. 

Then he'd felt it. He sat straight up in his seat, eyes flying open, at the same time that he heard the clatter of a dropped dish from the kitchen. 

Sans stood up as quickly as he could, understanding only now the tiredness that had been settling in on him for the last few days. He walked quickly towards the kitchen, but he only made it a few steps before Red appeared in the doorway. 

His eyes were wide, and as soon as he saw Sans, he seemed to deflate a little. "Sans...I...I just..." his voice broke and he buried his head in his hands. 

Sans didn't even hesitate, he stepped forward and wrapped Red up in his arms. "It's okay, love. I felt it too. I'm going with you," he said, holding his husband almost too tightly. 

"What?" asked Red, confused and pulling back a little. 

"I felt it too. It makes sense, we are the same person, after all," Sans said, pulling Red back into his arms. 

He felt Red nod against his collarbone, and they just stood there for a while, holding each other.   
X-X-X-X   
Sans was snapped out of his reverie as Red returned with the others. He sniffed and stood up, wiping away the fresh tears that had continued to find their way onto his face before he held his arms out for his daughter. 

She stepped into the embrace hesitantly, clearly confused. At 15, she was hardly a babybones anymore, and her magical strength was only growing with time. Sans tried to comfort himself with that thought as he gathered her into his arms as best he could, considering she was a good inch taller than him. 

“Dad, Papa, what’s going on?” she asked, stepping back slightly out of Sans’ embrace. Sans sat back onto the couch, pulling her down beside him and putting his arm around her. He felt Red sit beside him and take a deep breath as their brothers pulled up chairs across from them and sat down. 

Sans looked at him, taking his hand and smiling in a way that he hoped was encouraging but he was pretty sure it was just depressing. 

Red turned and looked at him and their daughter, then, taking another deep breath, turned back to Paps and Fell and began to explain.   
X-X-X-X   
Paps seemed to understand immediately, having heard of this process before. He looked shocked when he heard what Red had to say, but he handled it a lot more calmly than either Sans or Red had expected. 

Fell, however, didn’t quite get it. “I don’t understand, are you both injured?” he asked, frowning. 

“No, Boss. We’re dusting. It happens naturally after a certain amount of time. Our magic is set to run out in about…” Red looked at the timer he had set on his watch. “66 hours now.” 

“But if you aren’t injured, how do you know your magic is going to run out?” 

“It’s just a feeling you get. Every monster does this” 

“I’ve never heard of it before” 

“Maybe because nobody lived that long where we come from, Boss.” 

Fell paused for a moment. “Are you sure?” he asked after a moment, prompting Red to drop his head into his hands in exasperation. Then Red heard a sob from Papyrus. Since Sans was busy holding on so tightly to Constantia that she looked likely to break, Red lifted his head and started to reach for Paps before he realized that Paps’ face was entirely dry, and he was looking in awe at Fell. 

Red turned to his brother and just stared at him for a moment, completely thrown off-guard by this uncharacteristic show of emotion. Fell had his head tucked into his chest, arms wrapped around himself, his whole body shaking from the force of his gasping cries. 

Red hadn’t seen Fell cry, in any reset, since he was old enough to walk. “...Boss?” he found himself saying, utterly dumbstruck. 

Suddenly, Fell shot towards him, and out of habit, Red swore and flinched backwards, his magic automatically flaring up. Then he found himself wrapped up in Fell’s arms. 

Still crying, though a little less forcefully now, Fell said, “Don’t call me that, I’m your brother, I’m not your boss! I’m so sorry, Sans, I’m so, so sorry” 

Slowly, Red let his arms settle across his brother’s back, returning the hug. He made eye contact with Paps and then Sans as his brother cried into his collarbone and was somewhat unsurprised to see tears in both of their eyes. “It’s okay B-Papyrus. It’s okay, I forgive you,” he said quietly. “I forgave you a long time ago,”   
X-X-X-X   
Sans felt as though he was never going to stop crying. As he watched Red comfort his brother, he couldn’t help but start yet another batch of tears. He felt Constantia pull away, and he looked down at her questioningly. 

She was also crying. “Sorry, Dad. I just need a minute,” she said quietly, then she headed in the direction of the bathroom. Sans watched her go, impressed by how well she was holding together. She really would be okay, wouldn’t she? 

“This seems so soon, doesn’t this usually happen much later in life?” he heard Paps ask quietly. 

Sans turned to face him. He was crying like everyone else, but he looked as though he was still in shock, still processing. 

“Thanks to Gaster’s experimenting, Red and I have a bit shorter of a lifespan than the rest of monsterkind,” Sans replied, then he laughed slightly and said, “so the two of you have quite a while yet before you have to worry about it,” 

Papyrus looked scandalized. “I had no concern for myself, brother, I...I only…” He broke off, looking down at his hands. 

“What’s going to happen to Constantia?” asked Fell. He seemed to have mostly stopped crying and was back in his seat, but he had ahold of Red’s hand, which Red still seemed shocked by. 

“We actually wanted to talk to you about that, but we should probably wait until she gets back,” said Sans. 

“I’m right here, Dad,” came her voice. He looked over to find her leaning against the kitchen doorway, looking much better. 

“Well,” Sans began, turning back to Papyrus. “We had hoped you could take her, Paps. I know how much she loves the both of you but Fell is so busy with the Royal guard that we thought you would probably be more able to do care for her, Papyrus. I know it’s a lot to ask, but we really--” 

Sans was cut off by Papyrus shooting to his feet and striking a pose, “THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD BE HONORED!” he exclaimed, then he turned to Constantia and asked, more calmly, “Would you be satisfied with this arrangement?” 

She nodded and said “Of course I would, Uncle Paps,” She turned to Fell. “And Uncle Fell, I love you just as much but I know how busy you are, so I totally understand that you can’t really be there as much, but I can consider myself as being taken care of by both of you!”. 

Fell smiled at her, along with Papyrus. 

She smiled back and turned back to Sans and Red. “Dad, Papa, can I talk to the both of you alone for a moment?” 

“Of course, Con,” said Sans, standing up and following her into the kitchen.   
X-X-X-X   
Red extricated his hand from the grip of his brother and started to follow Sans before turning suddenly and planting a kiss on the top of his brother’s head. Fell looked shocked for a moment, then he smiled. Red smiled back, then followed his husband and daughter into the kitchen. 

Constantia had turned to face them, folding her arms in an attempt to look braver. 

Red couldn’t help his smile as he watched her. She was growing up so fast. She was taller than Sans now, and was nearing Red’s height. She would be 16 in less than 4 months and as remembered this, he felt the smile fade from his face. He would never see her turn 16, and she would spend that birthday without her fathers. 

Like Sans, he really didn’t mind the fact that he was dying. He’d done it so many times it was almost a thing to celebrate that at least this time, there wouldn’t be a reset, and he could finally stay gone. 

But as he looked at his daughter, trying so hard to be strong in the face of losing her parents. He felt grief fill his bones. This was the only death he had ever reached where he left behind something that actually mattered; where he would be missed by more than his unfinished bottles of mustard. 

Red took a deep breath and focused his attention back on Constantia and Sans. 

“Dad, Papa, I just wanted to tell you that I am going to be okay. Papyrus will take good care of me. I don’t want you guys to worry about me, okay?” Her voice broke on the last word, but Constantia just set her jaw and looked even more determined. “I love you two so, so much. I won’t ever forget you,” she continued. “But I really will be okay, I promise,”. 

Red looked at her, his soul swelling with pride, and then he stepped forward and wrapped her up in a hug. He felt Sans join them a moment later, sniffling. 

The small family stood together, arms wrapped around each other, each of them committing this moment to memory. The sound of sniffling could be heard from the other room, where one Papyrus comforted the other. Red closed his eyes and held his daughter tightly to his ribs, and he vowed then and there that if there was anything for him in the next life, he would never forget this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man this chapter is a gramatical mess. I don't even care anymore, you're just going to have to deal with it lol


	2. Happily Never After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Sans finally get the happy ending they deserve. 
> 
> Lol yeah right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you guys can probably tell, I did edit the first chapter so that it was all one chapter, it's definitely much better that way! Anyway, thank you to everyone who has read this! It's going to go on for quite a while longer so don't go away! I do have a couple of passages almost directly from the other story because i really loved how they wrote it. CaridwenAngeteur1, if you do not like that or feel like I am copying you, please let me know and i will edit the chapter accordingly. I do have a slightly alternated ending that doesn't use quite so much of your stuff, I just don't like it nearly as much. Please, let me know!

When monster kind first came to the surface, humanity didn't exactly greet them like the prodigal sons. The monsters had been exiled to the underground such a long time ago that they had faded into myth and legend. The first few humans to see the monsters thought that they had gone insane, especially since the monsters at the front of the crowd were a pair of skeletons, one tall and one short. It was especially confusing that the first thing these humans ever heard from this new collection of species was the shorter of the skeletons saying "Hey Frisk, those must be the humans, right? They look just like us, only a bit skin-nier," followed by the tall skeleton screaming NYEHHHHHH and proceeding to actually take off and throw both of his own boots at him.

Almost 17 years later, humans had grown much more used to the monsters, and a lot had changed. However, one thing hadn't. "I guess this is good-pie," said the same short skeleton to the taller, gesturing to the mostly eaten cinnamon-butterscotch pie that sat on a side table, brought yesterday by one of his dearest friends. Papyrus snorted softly, not in the mood to chastise his brother about his awful puns. The two skeletons stood facing each other just inside the open doorway, their copies standing out on the front step, Constantia already in the car. Goodbyes had been exchanged, promises made, tears shed. The past two days had been spent with the five of them almost never leaving the others presence ('almost' only because Sans put his foot down about Papyrus sitting outside the bathroom door and carrying on a conversation while he was...busy). It felt as though everything that needed to be said had already been voiced, and all of them knew it was time to say goodbye for good, but nome of them knew how to take that final step away from each other. They all stood silently for a moment before Papyrus finally turned and took a few steps, although he seemed to be having trouble getting himself to actually go through the doorway. Sans smiled sadly, then opened his mouth and said "Hey paps, I know you think I'm a-door-able, but you actually have to go through before we can shut that thing." He heard Fell snort and Papyrus turned back and actually smiled. "That was an awful last pun," he said. Now it was Red's turn to snort as he said, "You're the funny one of you think that was his last pun." Sans grinned at him and then turned back to his brother. Suddenly, he felt himself lifted into a bone-crushing (heh) hug. "I'm going to miss you so much, Sans" Papyrus whispered. Sans could see Red getting much the same treatment, and then, before they knew it, their brothers were gone, taking their daughter with them. 

Sans, slowly closing the door, turned around to look at Red. Red was looking back at him with sadness and something else in his eyes, and when they made eye contact, he held out his arms for the other. Sans stepped into them immediately, fitting perfectly into the embrace. Red held him like that for just a moment, then he put his fingers under Sans' chin, lifting it and pressing their teeth together in a skeleton kiss. Sans wrapped his arms around the other's neck, tangling his phalanges into the back of the other's jacket, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. He summoned his tongue and used it to explore the inside of the other's mouth. He felt Red pushing him backwards until the backs of his knees hit the couch and he fell into it, taking Red with him. As they kissed, Sans tugged Red's jacket from his shoulders, tossing it across the room to be found sometime later. He felt Red's magic surround them both, and when he next opened his eyes, he was looking at the ceiling of their bedroom. He smiled as Red moved to his neck, letting himself completely relax into the person he loved most in the world. 

X-X-X-X

Red woke up slowly, not wanting to open his eyes. He could feel Sans' breath on his cheek, and he had his arms wrapped around him. Red rolled slightly, pulling Sans into his chest and planting a sleepy skelekiss on the top of his head. He felt Sans shift against him, arms tightening for a moment as he woke up. "Sorry to wake you, love," Red murmured, eyes still closed. Sans just pulled himself closer to his husband, burying his face in his collarbone. Red could feel Sans smiling against him, and he smiled too, basking in the glow for a moment. "I love you, Sans," he said softly, kissing the top of his head again. "I love you too, Edgy McMyChemicalRomance," he heard Sans say, laughter in his voice.

Red opened his eyes and pulled away slightly so that he could look at him with disapproval. Sans snickered as he opened his eyes and looked up at Red, still blinking away sleep. He looked so beautiful like this. His perfect white bones were gleaming in the soft light, and the love in his eyes still made Red's mouth go dry, even after all these years. He still couldn't believe someone like this had ever decided they wanted to be with someone like him. Red found himself smiling softly despite himself. "You are such a little shit," he said affectionately. "Yeah, but, I mean, you're the one who married me," came the reply. Red growled slightly, though he was still grinning. "Oh, so that's how it is, huh, Blue-Boy?" He pushed Sans down into the bed slightly, looming over him in a somewhat predatory manner. Sans just grinned up at him unabashedly before looping his arms around Red's neck and pulling him into a much softer kiss than Red was expecting. When they broke apart, Sans' smile was much sadder. "How much time do we have left?" he asked. Red leaned over him to the nightstand and picked up his watch, his fingers tracing gentle circles on his love's shoulder as he settle him back into his arms. "About 2 hours," he said, checking the timer, "let's make the most of it, yeah?". Sans groaned in response to Red's grin, putting his arms back around his neck. "I am waaaayyyyyy too tired to have sex again". Red snorted, smiling, and said, "That's not actually what I meant, Blue-Boy, although I am definitely all for that if you decide you wanna bone," He winked at Sans, who groaned again, trying to hide a smile. "Sometimes I forget we're the same person" he heard Sans mumble as he extricated himself from his arms and climbed out of bed, shivering a little as the cold air hit his bare bones. 

X-X-X-X

Sans groaned again as Red lifted the blankets and let the cold air in. He pulled the sheets back around him and turned his head to watch Red as he crossed the room to the dresser. Sans snickered as he noticed something, and Red turned to him questioningly, his scarred bones catching the light as he moved. 

"You got a little something on your pelvis, there, loverboy," Sans said, propping himself up on his elbows to watch him more easily. Red looked down and grinne, then he licked his finger and used the moisture to rub at the spot of blue still left on him. 

Sans watched him unabashedly, drinking in the sight of him. "What?" asked Red when he saw him staring, then a shit-eating grin spread across his face, "Am I giving you a boner?"

Sans snorted. "You already made that joke," "Did I? Sorry, I guess I don't have much of a-" "Funny bone?" Sans said at the same time as Red, his laughter slightly more sarcastic than Red's. Red chuckled at that, turning back to the dresser to finish grabbing a set of clothes each for him and Sans. 

Sans chuckled when he saw that Red had chosen a My Chemical Romance shirt for himself, watching as he got dressed and then cane to stand beside Sans. As he was coming, he pulled his elbows in, letting himself fall back into the bed. When Red was above him, he grinned up at his husband and lifted his arms up to him in a clear "pick me up" gesture. 

Red complied, throwing back the sheets and scooping him up. Sans gasped from the cold air, then felt Red kiss the side of his head. Sans turned and, hands on either side of Red's face, kissed him again. They broke away and Sans sighed in happiness as Red carried him bridal-style across the room to where he had set his clothes down. Red set him back on his feet and Sans set about getting dressed, hissing slightly as the shirt rubbed against the new bite marks across his collarbone. He turned around when he was done and saw Red standing there, watching him quietly. Sans was about to make a joke when he noticed the tears in his husband's eyes.  
Sans stepped forward, wrapping Red up in a hug. "I love you so, so, so much Sans. I don't know what I would do without you" Red said, tears making silent tracks down his face. "I love you too, Red. So much more than I could ever say. I wouldn't have wanted to do this with anyone else by my side. I--I just love you so much, Red, I--" Sans broke down, beginning to sob. He felt the arms around him tighten as Red began to shake with the same sobs. They stayed that way for a while before Sans pulled back slightly and wiped at his cheeks, calming down a bit. He looked at the skeleton in his arms for a moment, then gathered his magic around them and took a shortcut to the kitchen. He kissed Red softly before pulling away and starting to make breakfast.

X-X-X-X

Eat breakfast, double-check the wills, hold each other, try to stop crying, cry anyway, looking at photos, holding each other some more. Those two hours went by far too quickly, and at the end of it all, Red had Sans in his arms and they were sitting together on the couch. "I love you...I love you...I love you..." one of them seemed to say it, whispering against the strain of their failing bodies, with every beat of their slowing souls. Red could feel his magic fading, his stores draining. His bones were starting to feel brittle, his breath started to come shorter. He checked his watch. "3 minutes, Blue-Boy" he whispered, trying to hold Sans even closer.

X

Sans looked up at his husband, red eyelights meeting his white ones, and he smiled. Hundreds of resets, hundreds of deaths, hundreds of versions of the same life, and finally,  _finally,_ he had lived a life that mattered. He was finally happy. He would die of old age in the arms of his husband instead of alone, from the slice of a blade across his chest. 

X

Those three minutes passed so slowly, and yet so quickly all at once. A flurry of kisses, nuzzling closer, and feeling the matter in his bones shift. Both of their eyes started to seek out the timer on Red's watch, watching the timer count down. 10...9...8...7...6...5... Red pulled Sans into one final kiss, his soul pounding his final message through him.  _I love you._ Sans' soul pulsed back in kind, both of them repeating with their souls what they no longer could with their voices. 

X

_I love you...I love you...I love you..._

4...3...2...

Suddenly, Sans felt an all-too familiar pull at the small of his back, and his eyes flew open just in time to meet Red's, his expression contorted into one of horror, before he felt himself yanked backwards into the anti-void. Red stood a few yards away from him in the blank white expanse, his expression changing into one of horrified understanding. Sans could feel the familiar tingle of his bones being healed as he ran towards his husband, but just before they reached each other, a glass wall slammed down between them. Sans screamed Red's name as Red pounded on the glass. Cracks began to appear, but Sans didn't even have time to hope before he felt himself passing out, sinkingninto the overwhelming blackness that always came before another reset. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I know! And also sorry to cut out the lemon but it just really didn't seem right to go into detail right then, with what I knew was going to come and what they thought was coming. And, despite the fact that the chapter that inspired this ends here, I will be continuing. I have very big plans for this story, and a lot of it already written. Can't wait for you all to see it!
> 
> And ugh. Just ugh. The grammar again. I'm so sorry.


	3. Missing Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much angst. You don't even know how much angst. I'm so sorry. Why are you reading this?

Sans sat up quickly, looking around. “What in the--” He felt like he had just had the nightmare of a lifetime. His hands were shaking, he was sweating like a whore in church, and his magic was flaring in such a way that Sans didn’t even need a mirror to know that his left eye was flashing between blue and yellow and probably even smoking out the magic residue in it’s somewhat terrifying, fire-like way. He was terrified, but he didn’t know why. He couldn’t remember any dreams at all. There didn’t seem to be anything out of place that would suggest a more real threat was present. He was sitting on his couch, the TV was on but muted, flickering with images of some useless show or another, the pet rock sitting peacefully covered in it’s usual blanket of rainbow sprinkles. He could see snow falling outside his window, the streetlights of Snowdin highlighting each falling piece...wait, Snowdin? Why did that feel so strange?

He got up off the couch and made his way over to the window, peering out. It was definitely Snowdin. Something about that revelation made his soul beat faster and even more sweat appear on his palms. He stared down at himself, mystified. He turned to go back to the couch, and just then, he heard a voice from upstairs. “BROTHER, WHY ARE YOU AWAKE AT SUCH A LATE HOUR” Papyrus was standing at the top of the stairs, rubbing his eyes. Sans looked up at him, shocked. “Papyrus, what are you doing here?” he heard himself ask. Papyrus looked at him for a moment, confused. “I AM...WAS...SLEEPING? I NEEDED A DRINK OF WATER BUT I DID NOT EXPECT YOU TO BE AWAKE” 

Sans just stared at him for a moment. Something felt profoundly wrong about this. Papyrus shouldn’t be here, but why shouldn’t Papyrus be here? It was his house too? No it wasn’t, Papyrus lived across town in an apartment with… Then it all came rushing back. 

“Red...RED!” He choked out, his legs suddenly going weak. It was all he could do to stumble forward so that he could lean against the side of the couch. What happened to Red? What had happened to  _ him _ ? Sans could feel himself starting to panic, and then he realized. It was just another reset. The basement would be untouched, the leftover magic from Gaster would make sure of that, had always made sure of that. He could be to Red in an instant with the machine. He immediately ran for the stairs, cursing the fact that the stupid workout regimen that Papyrus and Fell had put them on to make him and Red more fit had actually all been for nothing. “WHAT IS RED?” he heard his brother ask as he pushed past him on the way to his old room. He rushed across the dark room, tripping over the stupid treadmill and the numerous piles of crap on the floor on the way to his dresser. Cursing loudly, he fished the key to the basement out of the drawer that contained three mismatched pairs of socks and no less than five empty bottles of ketchup and whatever the hell  _ that _ was supposed to be behind the socks, he didn’t even want to know. He turned to run back downstairs, he tripped over yet another pile of he-didn’t-even-want-to- _ know _ -what and let fly another curse. Berating himself for ever having been such a freaking slob, he decided to just take a shortcut and found himself standing in front of the lab door. He fumbled with the key for a moment or two before he was able to get the door open and rush down the stairs, not bothering to lock it behind him like he normally did. 

He took the step two or three at a time before he came to an abrupt stop when he reached the bottom. The machine...the one that he had finally figured out how to fix only a few resets ago, the one that allowed him to go to Red’s world…

It was gone.

X-X-X-X

“SANS!!!” the angry yell came from the kitchen, but Red couldn’t get himself to process his brother’s voice. He had woken up less than an hour ago with the taste of mustard in his mouth and a muddled, hungover mind. It had only taken him a few moments to remember why he had tears running down his face. 

He couldn’t get the memory of the look on Sans’ face as he had failed to break the barrier, failed to save them both. He couldn’t get the sound of Sans screaming his name out of his head. 

He had thought to check on his machine before remembering that it was nothing more than an empty shell now, the Underfell basement lacking the reset-resistant magic that was in Sans’ world, any hope of fixing the machine unattainable. He had no idea where to even begin to fix it, it had always been Sans that was good at that sort of thing. They both had their Gasters, both had their moments in the lab, helping their father, learning complicated ideas and mechanisms, but Sans’ kinder world had actually allowed him to continue in his love of creation instead of growing to hate was had made him into the lazy lowlife Red thought himself to be. It was only after he had met Sans that Red had been able to find kindness and light in the world and  _ oh God, he couldn’t do this without Sans _ . 

Red forced himself to take a few deep breaths, and he relaxed his arms and legs, which had curled into him and tightened so hard he felt himself starting to go numb. He looked blankly at his wall, forcing himself to think rationally. Sans would come for him. He knew exactly how the machine worked, he could have his fixed back up in less than a day, probably. “SANS!!! GET YOUR LAZY ASS DOWN THE STAIRS, NOW!!!” Fell was yelling at him again. 

Red’s eyes widened suddenly, realizing something. That wasn’t fell down there. That was Papyrus, that was  _ Boss _ . He would be back to how he had been before they had met the Undertale brothers. Red didn’t notice his limbs curling back into himself again as he considered what that meant. It had taken years to fix the damage, to repair their relationship. Red squeezed his eyes shut, not noticing the stomping footsteps that were crossing the floor below, on their way to the stairs. The Great and Terrible Papyrus, one of the most feared monsters in the entire Underground, Captain of the Royal Guard. 

Even after they had left Underfell behind, he hadn’t changed much. It had only been after Constantia was born that he -- Constantia! Red’s eyes flew open at the same time as his door, a very angry Papyrus standing before him.

X-X-X-X

Sans couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Where was the machine? There had never been a reset where it wasn’t there, almost mocking him until he had finally figured out how it worked. He was stuck. Red was stuck, in that god-awful world. What was he going to do? He was pushing away thought of his daughter that were threatening to send him over the edge into a full-fledged panic attack. He realized he was shaking, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He needed to get to Red. Anything could be happening to him right now. In that screwed up world, he could easily already be -- Sans cut off that line of thought before it could finish.

There had to be some way to get to him. Maybe a shortcut? It could take him anywhere else, why not there? He and Red had never tried because of the obvious risks and the fact that they already had a ready-made way to travel between worlds, and after Red and Fell had come to stay, there had never been a reason to go back to that awful place. The amount of magical energy it would probably take to travel between worlds had to be astronomical, but Sans couldn’t worry about that right now. He closed his eyes, imagining what he could remember of the darker version of his living room, and then he gathered his magical energy around him and and took the shortcut. 

As soon as he felt the air come back in around him, his eyes flew open and he found himself facing his kitchen. His kitchen. His living room, his couch, his own bright, happy, dust-free  world outside the door. He screamed in frustration, gripping onto his own skull and digging his phalanges in until it hurt. He heard footsteps running down the stairs as he summoned the energy to try again, this time appearing a few feet to his right. He sank to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself as he began to sob. He felt someone touching his shoulder cautiously, but he couldn’t find room in his head to care. 

_ Red, Constantia, Red, Constantia, Red… _

Everything faded to black.

X-X-X-X

“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” came his brother’s angry voice. Red raised his own eyes to meet his, and was suddenly his by how much Papyrus had changed in the last 17 years. The Papyrus he knew would have looked an awful lot like the one standing in front of him to the casual observer. His Papyrus had an extra crack across the bottom of his jaw, and his bones were slightly more white due to his improved eating habits, but what struck Red the most was the complete and utter lack of affection in his brother’s eyes. Things had always been tense between them, but in the last few years, they had made very big strides, thanks to Sans and Paps. The skeleton standing before him was looking at him with so much unbridled hatred, so much more than he had seen on  _ anyone _ in a very long time.

Red’s surprise in that moment caused him to make an awful mistake. “Pap-Papyrus?” he whispered, staring at the stranger in front of him. Papyrus’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his older brother.

“What...the... _ fuck _ …” he growled, “did you just call me, you useless piece of trash?” And just like that, this wasn’t a stranger. 

Red scrambled away from him, fear like he hadn’t felt in 17 years clouding his mind. He found himself trapped between his headboard and his angry brother. 

Boss looked at him scornfully as he cowered. “Pitiful,” he snarled, walking around the side of the bed and picking Red up by his neck. “Usually you’ve got some smart-ass comment up your sleeve instead of just sitting here, shitting yourself like a  _ god-damn dog _ ” Boss’s eyes sparked on the last word as though he had had a fantastic idea. 

Red knew what was coming, and he knew that the tears making their way down his face were only making it worse, but he couldn’t get himself to stop. 17 years in a soft world had made him weak. 17 years of kindness and people he loved had taken what he had gotten from countless resets and pain and death and losing his whole world over and over and over again. He had made the mistake of learning to care. 

X-X-X-X

Sans woke up on the couch, his head pounding. He sat up blearily to see Papyrus sitting on the ground with his back against the front of the couch, sound asleep. Sans looked down at his brother, not sure what he was feeling at the moment. Papyrus was snoring softly, and he was wearing his battle body, Sans realized, smiling softly. He hadn’t seen Papyrus in his battle body since before Constantia was bo-- Sans’ smile dropped from his face.

He hunched forward, burying his head in his hands. What was he going to do? He had no way to reach Red, his daughter no longer existed. Who even knew what kind of hell Red was going through right now? 

Sans remembered when he had first met Red. Behind his asshole exterior, he had been beyond damaged. He had been...broken. Destroyed. He had been an empty shell of a monster, with no concept of what love even meant. It had taken months before Red had been able to look Paps in the eye, years for his own brother. He remembered the way Fell had broken down when he realized Red was dying. And now he had lost all of that. 

Sans began to cry quietly. He had promised Red,  _ swore to him _ , that he would always be there for him, that he would never have to do the things he had once been forced to do. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t even know where to start. 

He didn’t notice Papyrus waking up and standing until his brother rested a hand on his shoulder. “SANS, WHAT IS WRONG?” he asked. Sans jumped slightly, both from the contact and the question. He looked up to see Papyrus hovering over him, looking confused and sad. He didn’t even know about the resets. He didn’t know anything. This was barely even Papyrus! 

Sans’ train of thought came to a screeching halt. Of course this was Papyrus. It was just him 17 years ago, when he had been a naive, incredibly childlike Royal Guard “in training”. This Papyrus had no scars. This Papyrus, Sans realized, could still use attack magic. Not that this Papyrus would ever want to. 

Sans wiped the tears from his face, realizing that he had been asked a question. What was wrong? Where would he start? What would this Papyrus even understand? “Nothin’, bro. I just haven’t been sleeping well, I think I’m getting kinda  _ bone _ -tired” he said, forcing a lazy grin onto his face. 

Papyrus just looked at him for a moment, seeming confused. Then he straightened up. “YOU HAVEN’T BEEN SLEEPING WELL? ALLOW ME TO HELP YOU, BROTHER! I WILL PREPARE YOU SOME SPAGHETTI!” He began to make his strutting way into the kitchen before pausing in the doorway. Sans almost missed what was said next, it was so quiet. “And Sans...if you decide you would like to talk to me, I am always here. You are my brother and I love you,” With that, he disappeared into the kitchen, presumably to make some spaghetti. 

Sans couldn’t bring himself to feel anything about this development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I know that it says this will be 11 chapters long, and while i do have it planned out that way, it feels sort of rushed. There are absolutely no filler chapters at this point so it all happens fairly quickly. If you guys want, I can add in some filler to make it longer and more stretched out, but I'm also okay with just moving through fairly quickly. Just let me know what you think! As always, thanks for reading!!!!


	4. Good Dogs Don't Whine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I just wanted to put warnings right up here where you can see them immediately, a large portion of this chapter is a depiction of an abusive relationship. I don’t want to cause anyone harm so if that will bother you, skip down and read the end notes and I’m going to put a summary of the events that hopefully won’t cause any problems. And if it gives you an idea about this chapter, I was listening to Paralyzed by NF on repeat through a lot of it. It reminds me of Sans more than Red at this point in the story but hey when have I ever made sense.  
> Anyways  
> Here’s wonderwall

Sans woke up with his face pressed into a pile of papers. He sat up slowly, groaning as he stretched. He rubbed the back of his neck as he stood all the way up. Last night, after Papyrus had forced him to eat a large amount of his awful spaghetti (Sans had never fully appreciated how much his brother’s cooking had improved in 17 years until that moment), he had come down to the basement, poring over Gaster’s notes for any clues as to what had happened to the machine. 

It didn’t much help his research that every single mention of multiverse theory was gone. Entire papers, even footnotes to the vanished papers that he  _ knew _ had been there before, had just disappeared without a trace. There was nothing left, and Sans was beginning to get to the end of his rope. At least he had gotten some sleep. 

He wondered if Red had been able to sleep for a moment before he shook his head and began to pace. 

Even if he continued to go through the papers, he doubted he would find anything useful. What else could he do? He knew that he was going to have a very, very long talk with the kid when they got there, but they weren’t due for another couple of hours at least. There was no one else to talk to, no one else who even remembered the resets or knew about the multiverse. No one could even begin to understand--Sans lifted his head slowly. Well. There was one person, wasn’t there? Not that ‘person’ was really the right word to describe that little asshole. 

X-X-X-X

Boss threw him down onto his back, hard. He drew back his boot, preparing to kick his already broken ribs. Red tried to scramble away, only to get caught up by the pain in his  _ everywhere _ and he couldn’t get away, he couldn’t escape, Boss was going to hurt him again and he couldn’t do anything to stop it and  _ oh God he couldn’t take any more _ and suddenly he could see Boss’s face and he found himself screaming, screaming for mercy, screaming for someone, anyone, to  _ help _ him, to save him from Boss, his screams becoming more and more incoherent until he was asking “Don’t you  _ love _ me?” 

The expected pain didn’t come and Red allowed himself to peek up at Boss through his fingers. He had set his foot back on the ground and was instead reaching for the hood of Red’s jacket. Red started to sob quietly as he was wrenched up to eye level. “What did you just say?” asked Boss, far too calmly. 

Red  _ knew _ that he should shut up, he remembered how much worse it got the more pissed off Boss was. But his body betrayed him, his weak, hope-filled soul almost forcing him to forget all of the warning signals coming from the rest of him. His mouth opened and he started to babble, the words coming so quickly they were damn near incomprehensible. “D-don’t you l-love me? We’re brothers, I k-know we used to l-love each other, r-right? We used to- used to l-love each other s-so much, and you even s-said you n-never stopped, even now, you j-just didn’t know h-how to d-deal with it, you b-barely knew what l-love felt like because of this stupid, f-fucked up world. You l-love me, you p-promised, you promised, youpromised, youpromisedyoupromised!” His sobs were getting louder and his whole body was shaking and he had no idea how to feel about any of this, this was his  _ brother _ , this was the same person that had been holding him and crying just three days ago, he couldn’t be  _ gone _ . 

Boss just stared at him for a moment, and Red felt something like hope blooming in his chest. Maybe Fell had remembered it wrong! Maybe this Papyrus had only needed to be told what he was feeling, maybe he really did feel something brotherly about this and he would put Red down and he would fucking stop, maybe-- Red was suddenly back on the floor, gasping in pain and fear and some small measure of possible happiness. He looked up.

Boss was smiling. But it wasn’t the smile that Red had grown used to, the one that only Red and Sans’s brother had ever really been able to coax out of him, one that expressed the happiness and peace that 17 years had given him. There was no joy in the smile that Red was seeing now, not even an echo of the one from his memories. There was nothing good in this smile at all. 

“How could you possibly think I could ever love someone like you?” Red froze. No. Nononononono that was his brother’s voice but he couldn’t possibly be saying-- “How could anyone ever love you? Hell, the only reason no one has killed you yet is because of our...familial tie” Boss’s expression was one of disgust, as though someone had presented him a particularly strange-looking bug, the thought of being related to Red at all apparently so repulsive that he had to pause for a moment. “You are nothing to me but a burden, you useless piece of shit”

Red’s sobbing had stopped at he stared at his brother in shock. He had never heard his brother say this before. He supposed he must have known it, but even before the Undertale brothers, in any reset, Boss had never actually  _ said it _ . 

Again, his shock drove him to make the stupidest of mistakes.

“P-papyrus... _ please _ …”

And with that, the smile fell from Boss’s face and Red felt his soul turn blue right before he was thrown into the wall with a sickening crunch. Blackness began to fade in just in time for Red to let his eyes fall closed. 

X-X-X-X

An hour later, Sans had managed to head off Papyrus by telling him that he was going to be late to work. Papyrus had seemed so thrilled when Sans had showed signs of caring about his job. Oh well. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Sans approached the doors to the ruins carefully, listening for any noise. The little weed wasn’t particularly consistent, and it was still early, so he wasn’t very surprised that he wasn’t out of the ruins yet. He sat down with his back against the door. He thought about knocking, to see what Toriel was up to, but he realized he didn’t really want to talk to a Toriel from 17 years ago. She had been...bitter. Sad. He had enough sadness right now, and she wouldn’t miss his knocking, since he was usually at Grillby’s at this point in a reset. 

He leaned his head back. It was truly amazing how much had actually changed in 17 years. 

He let his eyes drift closed. 

 

Sans was awakened for the second time in the same day by a strange feeling on his face. This felt less like paper and more like...hair? No...it was too concentrated to be hair. But he could feel individual strands brushing against his cheekbone. He cracked his eyes open, only to be met with a face very close to his own.

He screeched and jumped back in a manner that wasn’t particularly dignified, but succeeded in tossing the owner of the face away from him. Sans stood up quickly looking around. There was a bucket of paint on the ground, and a paintbrush laying on the ground next to it. He had the mind to realize that that was what had been touching his face, but as he glanced around quickly, he saw no one. 

What the actual--

“Gee, thanks a lot for that!” came a tinny voice from somewhere by his feet. Sans looked down in surprise at the little yellow flower on the ground.

“Flowey!” He said, smiling in relief. That felt weird. He was pretty sure he’d never said that name with any measure of actual happiness before in his life. 

Flowey looked confused by this new development for a moment, then he put on his big, fake smile. “Well howdy there, smiley trashbag!”

Sans huffed in impatience. “Cut the crap, Flowey. How much do you remember from the last reset?”

Flowey didn’t lose the smile. “Well, not too much, I suppose! It seemed like a pretty normal pacifist run to me!” Then the smile did falter slightly. “How did the sun feel, Saannsyyyyyyy?” he said in a mocking voice. 

Sans cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten what had happened to Flowey, but he supposed he should have remembered, considering how peaceful his life had been for 17 years. “What about this reset?”

Flowey gave him a strange look. “I think I remember this reset just fine, trashbag. I’m not decaying completely yet”

“No, no. I meant, is there anything weird this reset?” 

Flowey giggled. “Well, I’ll say! Frisk hasn’t fallen!”

Sans froze. “What?” 

Flowey grinned when he realized Sans’s distress. “The little bitty human hasn’t fallen into the underground!” he gave a loud, mocking gasp. “Oh, no! Does that mean they’re not coming?” 

Sans was still frozen. Something was seriously wrong. Frisk always came on the first day of a reset. That was the whole point of a reset, that they could start over. Unless...something else had caused the reset?

Sans realized flowey was curling his vines around his legs, almost casually. Sans had dealt with this often enough that he knew what was coming and that he definitely did not want it to happen. He kicked the vines off of his legs, one of which knocked over the can of paint that had been sitting on the ground. “Fuck off, petals” he growled.

Flowey just giggled again. “Aw! You’re no fun at all! Well, see you later, trashbag! Maybe we’ll never reset again and what I do will actually stick this time!” Then he was gone. 

Sans sighed and ran his hands over his eye sockets. The little--

He frowned as he felt something wet on his cheek. Oh, right. Flowey had been painting on him when he woke up. It was probably very flattering and something that he should leave to dry forever. Sans snorted and turned to head back home. Time for plan B, whatever the hell that--oof!

Sans ran smack-dab into someone who was a little shorter than he was. He stumbled back, rubbing his sternum and looked at them. His heart leapt.

“Red!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happened during the abuse portion of the show  
> Basically Red gets the crap kicked out of him until he gets to the point where he goes “Don’t you love me?” and boss is like how could i love someone that never brings me anything but trouble? Then he knocks Red out.


	5. Artists Are Assholes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long.  
> I'm also sorry if it's awful and/or seems rushed. This chapter gave me so much crap, and I basically just gave up and moved on. I hope it's at least acceptable lol.
> 
> Fuck I forgot a thing.   
> I got so into the angst and also I haven't read this story in too long to have been writing the next part.   
> Flowey painted a rude thing on Sans's face and Ink was supposed to have a laugh about it. I am entirely too tired to add it right now, so just pretend that happened until I actually have a chance to add it, okay? Sorry it's 2 in the morning I am not dealing with this anymore ugh

_ Don’t call me that, I’m your brother, I’m not your Boss! I’m so sorry, Sans, I’m so, so sorry.” _

Red was crying again. He couldn’t seem to get himself to stop, even knowing how much worse it was making things. He heard Boss laugh cruelly. “Wow, Sans. It’s almost like you want this.” He stood and stretched, setting his book aside. He strolled leisurely to where Red’s chain was attached to the wall. 

Red stood obediently, still crying, as Boss unclipped his chain from the wall  and lessened the length of the lead by three links before reattaching him. “If you can’t stop showing your weaknesses in the within the next three minutes, I’m shortening it again. No one else needs to know how useless you are,” he said before settling back down in his chair and picking his book back up, resuming reading as if nothing had happened. 

Red sat back down at the very edge of the chain’s reach. The collar was pulling at his neckbones just painfully enough that he knew it would make Boss happy. He wiped at his eyes, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. All he’d done was think about Sans, just for a moment. He’d just hoped, for a split second, that he would see him soon. It’d only been...what? A day there? Less? He wasn’t sure. Time passed differently between the universes. Red had been keeping careful track of the time, no matter how useless that might have been. Still, though. If he hadn’t been doing so, the last week would have been even more unbearable. 

Red wasn’t sure what was holding Sans up, but he knew Sans was coming for him. Sans always came for him. He’d promised that he would never leave him alone, and Red had never had any doubts about trusting Sans.

His tears stopped, finally, and Red forced his mind onto other things. He wondered, vaguely, if the dusty gray stain on the back of his brother’s knee was from a monster he knew.

X-X-X-X

Sans’s elation faded as he continued looking at the skeleton in front of him. He hands, which had been raised halfway in the beginnings of wrapping not-Red up in a hug, dropped to his sides as bitterness filled his soul. He had thought, just for a moment…

The skeleton in front of him didn’t have any scars, and his eyelights were two different colors. He was dressed in several layers, with a vest and blue coat tied around his waist and a long brown scarf trailing behind him. Sans could make out a few blotches of color here and there on the scarf, as well as a note that just said, “Paperjam”. He had a giant paintbrush slung across his back with a sash, and a row of colored bottles decorating the front of the sash. 

The stranger looked very confused for a moment, looking around. “Wait, am I not in Undertale?” he murmured to himself, glancing around. “That looks like Classic Sans, but...is this Bad Brother?”

The stranger focused on Sans for a moment, and he shuddered at the feeling of being checked. “No...no, 1HP…”

“This is Undertale,” Sans said loudly, making the other jump as though he hadn’t been expecting him to actually talk.

“What are you doing underground, then?” he asked, tilting his head to one side curiously. 

Sans narrowed his eyes. “I dunno. Where else would I be?”

“Well, last I heard, you were on an extended Pacifist run with…” the stranger’s brow crinkled in distaste before clearing so suddenly the Sans wondered if he’d actually changed expressions at all, “Underfell Sans,”

Sans just stared at him for a moment. “Okay, who the hell are you?”

The stranger’s eyes widened at that, and he squeaked, “Crap! You’re not supposed to see me!”. And with that, he actually dived face-first behind the nearest bush. 

Sans could not have been more confused. He actually might have discounted the entire exchange as a desperation-fueled hallucination if it hadn’t been for the very tips of the other’s boots poking out from beneath the shubbery. 

“Uh...:” he started, not even sure where to begin. “I can still see your shoes.”

The quickly disappeared from view, and the voice replied, “No, you can’t! I’m not even here, go away!”

Sans supposed there was still a definite possibility that this was a hallucination. Or an acid trip. Honestly, who knows what was in Papyrus’s spaghetti back at the beginning?

He frowned and stomped over the the bush where the other was hiding, grabbing the shorter skeleton by an ankle and dragging out into the open. 

“You’d better start talking before I have to stop being nice,” he growled, letting his magic flare threateningly. 

The other put his hands up in surrender, sitting up slowly before pushing himself up to stand as he said, “I’m Ink, okay? I’m not a threat.”

“Where the hell did you come from?”

Ink shuddered slightly. “Dusttale. Honestly, I don’t know why I ever check up on him, he gives me the--”

“What the hell is Dusttale?”

Ink seemed to fumble for words for a moment. “It’s an alternate universe where you...uh...you kill everyone.” Ink was cringing, apparently dreading Sans’s reaction to that revelation. He was caught off guard, to say the least, when Sans’s entire countenance lit up and he reached out and grabbed him by the wrists. His hold was so tight it was almost painful, and Ink winced slightly. Sans didn’t even notice as he blurted out, “You can travel between universes?”

Ink furrowed his brow, confused. “Yes, but...so can you. Can’t you?”

Sans shook his head, still holding on tight. “My machine is gone. It disappeared with the reset and it--”

“You reset?”

Ink’s mouth had dropped open and his eyes had filled with tears. Sans recoiled a bit, unsure how to deal with the emotion on the other’s face. “Y-yes?”

“Oh, Sans, I’m so sorry. Constantia’s creator is one of my favorites. I loved watching her grow up?” Ink was looking at him with an expression Sans had only ever seen at funerals, and he had no idea how to even begin to deal with it. 

“Uh...you...watched my daughter grow up?” he asked, and as Ink nodded, he said the first thing that popped into his mind. “Well, that’s kinda creepy. Even if you do look like me. What the hell is going on?” the last part was asked with a desperate air of confusion that made Ink realize that his sympathy was probably only making things worse. 

“Here,” he said gently, mindful of the mental state the other must be in. “Let’s sit down and talk about this. I’ll explain, and you tell me what you need from me, alright?” 

Sans nodded softly, still looking slightly overwhelmed, and followed the other to the edge of the forest.

X-X-X-X

Red tugged on his collar, wincing slightly as it caused the spikes that lined this inside to rub against his already-raw vertebrae. He dropped his hand quickly, cursing himself yet again for messing with it. It was a habit he had picked up from his old collar, his blue one, a nervous tic he had started to remind him that...that he wasn’t....

Why had he had a blue collar? Hadn’t it always been red, just like this one?

It hit him again, and he had to force himself to keep a neutral expression on his face. He was forgetting again. He couldn’t let that happen, he couldn’t let this take Sans away from him, not even for a moment. 

He couldn’t do this without Sans, damn it. 

Why wasn’t he here?

Red rolled over, sticking both of his hands into the space between his mattress and the floor to keep him from tugging on the collar again. Sans would come. Of course he would. He had promised. Something must be holding him up, that was all. Red didn’t know exactly how much the time differed. For all he knew, it changed with every reset. For all he knew, it had only been a few seconds in Sans’s world. For all he knew, Sans was never coming and he would be stuck here until he dusted again. 

_ I wouldn't have wanted to do this with anyone else by my side. _

Red squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and when he opened them again, he was focused on the tally marks he had been carving on the floor beside the pillow. There were twelve of them. Twelve days. 

The thought depressed him more than he would like to admit, and he was disappointed in himself for a second. Seventeen years and he still couldn’t stop telling himself how much everything sucked. Then he chuckled quietly. 

It hadn’t really been seventeen years. It had been twelve days. He could probably leave a little room for error here. 

Maybe it would be best if he didn’t keep track of the days anymore. Sans would come either way.

He just had to remember.

X-X-X-X

“Where is your...your...husband?”

Sans looked up at his double, frowning slightly. “Underfell,” he answered, slightly more shortly than he’d meant. He was slightly overwhelmed with the information he had just been given. The mutliverse and Ink’s role in it were making his brain want to short out so that he didn’t have to deal with the implications of there being nearly infinite versions of himself. It wasn’t so much the idea of a multiverse that was getting to him, he’d come to terms with that very quickly after meeting Red for the first time. It was the sheer number of possibilities that was astounding him. Not to mention some of the examples Ink had given him. 

Damn it, Red would have loved to visit Underlust. He’d probably bring the camera, the one they never let Constantia use, and take pictures like a loser tourist while Sans alternated between laughing at him and pretending not to know him. 

The thought of Red sobered him slightly, and he spoke up again. “Can you take me there? Or bring him here?”

Ink looked at him for a moment, seeming to deliberate about something for a moment. 

“No.”

Sans’s eyeslights blew wide, and he jumped to his feet. “What?”

Ink shook his head, looking determined. “I said no. I’m never setting foot in that universe again.” he looked up and saw the expression on Sans’s face, and some of his stubborness seemed to fade away, only to be replaced with shame. “I...I can’t. I’m sorry, Sans.”

“You’re  _ sorry? _ ” Sans growled. “You sit there and say you love the multiverse, you love every creation, you watched my  _ daughter _ grow up, and you can’t even--” he cut himself off and took a deep breath before continuing. “Ink, I have lost everything, and I know you’re sorry for that, but Red is going through so much worse. And his universe moves faster than mine, I have no idea how long he’s even been there. I need to get to him!”

Ink’s face hardened. “You’re not the only one who had lost a child, Sans.” There was a long moment of stunned silence before he sighed and continued, also standing. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, but I can’t help. I am  _ never _ going to Underfell again. You’re going to have to do it yourself.”

Sans wanted to scream. “I can’t! My machine is--”

Before he could say another word, Ink was gone. 

X-X-X-X

Red sat in the corner, alone. Alone. Why did that feel so strange? He’d always been alone.

Boss adjusted, making a small noise as the couch creaked slightly under him, and Red amended his statement. Boss had always been there for him. It was a good thing Red had him, really. There was no doubt that he would be dead by now if he didn’t have Boss watching out for him. His single HP made him practically useless, combined with the utter hopelessness--no, that wasn’t quite right...Laziness. Combined with the utter laziness that came from every reset ending almost the same way. 

He sat up on his heels, watching Boss carefully. Maybe this reset, they could make it to the end, make it to the surface…

A flash of sky, a wash of purple  filling it as the sun fell below the horizon, filled his mind, and he stopped, confused. That...that felt like a memory. When had he seen the surface? Was...was there something else he was…

Red’s eyes filled with tears as something prodded at the back of his mind, and he quickly changed his train of thought. 

By Asgore, he was despicable. Crying over a mental image of a pretty sky. It was really no wonder Boss was always so disappointed in him. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not going to be finishing this story, feel free to pick up where I left off and link me so I can read it!


End file.
